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Expert: - 12/26/2008


Question
I was just given a 600 LB gun safe for the holidays. While i was on my honeymoon my friends put it on my second floor, of my home, in a bedroom closet. The safe's dimensions put it at 4.5 sq ft. This puts my lbs/sq ft. at 133 lbs/sqft. Can I put a piece of thick plywood under it that is 20 sqft. that would alleviate the pressure on the floor down to 30 lbs/sqft. Do you believe this will work or am i just asking for trouble? I don't want it raining gun safes in my home.

Answer
Joshua--

That's amazing! Well, it's a good thing we have building codes, so we can afford to have friends like that.  That 133 lb/sqft is just about what most floors are designed to support, but throughout the entire floor! That's how strong they are supposed to be.

Adding a piece of plywood beneath will spread the weight out some. But if it were mine, I'd leave well enough alone unless the floor is already bending.

Daniel

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Daniel Humphrey

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I can answer questions about designing and building homes and outbuildings, especially for colder climates. I am expert in timber framing, but of course I also know about other kinds of residential construction techniques and materials. Because of my emphasis on using local materials and organic alternatives, I know quite about about Green Building and am willing to do the research to find out more.

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I've been a timber framer for 20 years, working as a general contractor who designs and builds custom timberframe homes, working as much as possible with local organic materials, from foundation to finish. I also have expertise in designing, building, and setting up pre-fab remote camp facilities on terra firma or temperate glaciers for research and expeditions, using helicopters for support.

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B.A., M.F.A.

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